Debbie Blank
The Herald-Tribune
--- — Batesville officials went to bat for one of its major manufacturers and recently learned they hit a home run. Leaders requested a $500,000 City of Lawrenceburg Government Support Grant “because Batesville Tool and Die is making a $10 million investment in our community and creating jobs” with its latest expansion, explained Mayor Rick Fledderman. “Anything we can do to see this through is a win-win for all parties involved.” He received a confirming letter from Lawrenceburg Mayor William Cunningham June 29. The grants program, which has awarded over $32 million in the past five years, is designed to provide gaming revenue funds from Hollywood Casino for economic development investments throughout southeastern Indiana. Batesville is BTD’s fiscal agent and will assist in the transfer of the $500,000 from Lawrenceburg, the mayor said. Company President and CEO Jody Fledderman noted, “We are very excited that we were awarded the grant. We are grateful to the city of Lawrenceburg and we are glad they are interested in helping companies create jobs for the community.” He explained that the expansion “involves a 30,000-square-foot addition and two large machines and auxiliary equipment.” The grant will be spent on equipment. According to the mayor, “This grant will help city residents by creating opportunities for jobs and going a long way to increase our tax base. This should serve to be very positive for the residents of the city ...” About 40 new jobs are expected by 2013, a June 17 news release stated. The positions will add $1.1 million in salaries to the local economy annually, said Gene Lambert, BTD sales vice president. Officials there have been supportive of employees during the downturn. The president reported, “We did a number of things to help everyone cope with the difficult times last year. We kept nearly everyone on full time, even though the hours were reduced, and continued full benefits for them.” Now it appears BTD has weathered the recession. “Things are much improved,” he admitted. “Everyone is back on full hours and we are even working some overtime. We are cautiously optimistic that things will stay steady moving forward.”
